Fourth Reich
The Fourth Reich is a Neo-Nazi faction within the post-apocalyptic metro system. As with most factions in the Metro universe, the Fourth Reich did not appear spontaneously, but evolved from an existing group, most likely radicals in the Central Metro Command. Overview The Nazis are a National Socialist faction in the Metro centred around the three main stations of Tverskaya, Chekhovskaya and Pushkinskaya, but they have also set up numerous outposts and maintain a military presence in several outlying stations, possibly as an attempt at expansion as the Nazis are an imperialist faction. A clearly obvious trait about the Nazis is that they openly emulate Nazi Germany, both in style and in practices: their Slavic interpretation of Nazism means they believe that Russians are the master race and their soldiers are known to engage in ethnic cleansings against non-Russians and others they deem impure or mutated, which can include Russians such as Communist soldiers who are often executed without mercy. Stylistically there are many similarities that the Nazis have copied: The most prominent similarities is that Nazi soldiers all are equipped with helmets shaped like the famous "Stahlhelm" used by Wehrmacht infantry (even featuring the bolts on the side of the helmet) which became a famous symbol of Nazism. A second similarity is that the Nazis feature many banners and symbols based on ones used by Nazi Germany, featuring a prominent black icon (either a capital C or a three-pointed swastika known as a Triskelion) within a white circle and a red background, reminiscent of the flag of Nazi Germany. Markings of the walls in Nazi-held tunnels and stations are also painted on in a font commonly used in Germany and by the Third Reich. A third is their casual use of German language terms despite being Russian - listening to conversations between unalert soldiers they can be heard referring other Nazis as "Herr" (meaning Mr. or Sir) and to their captain as "Hauptmann" as well as calling their unknown leader the "Führer". Outside the novels, however, their German doesn't seem to extend past "partisan German", as in short stereotypical phrases picked up from numerous World War II movies (e.g. "Jawohl!", "Hände hoch!"). A fourth is their similar type of rallies and hails. Like the Third Reich, the Fuhrer gives an enthusiastic speech to his soldiers who respond with a hail. However their hail is slightly different then that of the Third Reich. At certain points in a speech the Fuhrer will yell out "Hail Reich!" instead of "Sieg Heil" and the soldiers respond with " Slava! Slava! Slava!". Instead of the open hand salute they use a closed fist. History The term "nationalist" in Russia often refers to radical nationalism. However, it is often mixed up with "fascism". While this terminology does not exactly match the formal definitions of fascism, the common denominator is chauvinism. Some movements hold a political position that the state must be an instrument of nationalism (such as the National-Bolshevik Party), while others (for example, Russian National Unity) resolve to vigilante tactics against the perceived "enemies of Russia" without going into politics. Historically, the first prototype of such groups started with the Black Hundreds, that were quickly purged by the Soviet regime's anti-nationalistic policies. A new surge of this kind of activism was a byproduct of perestroika and glasnost, including neo-Soviet groups that called for a return of Soviet communism, and white supremacist movements heavily influenced by European and American groups. Many Russian neo-Nazis openly admire Adolf Hitler and use the German Nazi swastika as their symbol. Russian neo-Nazis are characterized by racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia and extreme xenophobia towards people from Asia.May 4, 2008. "Horrific Documentary on Russian Neo-Nazis part 1". YouTube. Their ideology centers on defending Russian national identity against what they perceive as a takeover by minority groups such as Jews, Caucasians, homosexuals, Central Asians, Roma people and Muslims. Russian neo-Nazis have made it an explicit goal to take over the country by force, and have put serious effort into preparing for this. Paramilitary organizations operating under the guise of sports clubs have trained their members in squad tactics, hand to hand combat and weapons handling. They have stockpiled and used weapons, often illegally. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 caused great economic and social problems, including widespread unemployment and poverty. Several far right paramilitary organizations were able to tap into popular discontent, particularly among marginalized, lesser educated and unemployed youths. Of the three major age groups — youths, adults, and the elderly — youths may have been hit the hardest. The elderly suffered due to inadequate (or unpaid) pensions, but they found effective political representation in the Communist Party, and generally had their concerns addressed through better budget allocations. Adults, although often suffering financially and psychologically due to job losses, were generally able to find new sources of income. RNU, founded in 1990 in Moscow and led by Alexander Barkashov, has claimed to have members in 250 cities. RNU adopted the swastika as its symbol, and sees itself as the avant-garde of a coming national revolution. It criticizes other major far right organizations, such as the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. Historian Walter Laqueur calls RNU far closer to the Nazi model than the LDPR. RNU publishes several news sheets; one of them, Russky poryadok, claims to have a circulation of 150,000. Full members of RNU are called Soratnik (comrades in arms), receive combat training at locations near Moscow, and many of them work as security officers or armed guards.Laqueur, Walter, Fascism: Past, Present, Future, p. 189 At the peak of its popularity in 1999, RNU was estimated to have 100,000 active members all over Russia by state officials. Novel Sparsely populated by hardcore militant neo-Nazis, the Fourth Reich is known for its atrocities against people of non-Russian nationality. The population is terribly unbalanced, there are fewer women than men, which means that the Reich is facing extinction without expansion. They are despised and hated, but unlike in the games, are not in open war with any other faction and are directly opposed only by Guevara-inspired revolutionaries. The Fourth Reich is aware of its problems and some soldiers are heard talking about "an ultimate, last crusade" to capture Polis, although it's not known whether such plan actually exists. Their territories incorporate three interchange stations: Tverskaya, Chekhovskaya and Pushkinskaya. The encounters through the novel reveal the Fourth Reich's brutal nature as the entrances of the station are littered with bodies and decorated in slogans and murals to Adolf Hitler. The Reich is a relatively new faction in the book, much younger than its in-game counterpart. Both Artyom and his friend Vitali are surprised to learn of their existance and the man who explains the Reich to Artyom does not know its exact details. He is unable to remember if it is the Fourth or Fifth Reich. It is mentioned in the novel that the Nazi soldiers wear black uniforms with black berets and armbands with the Triskelion on. Metro 2033 The Nazis are first encountered during the Frontline, where they are in heated combat with the Red Line and are met again during Depot, Outpost and the Black Station levels. They are the typical anti-diversification group under the rule of an unnamed Führer. The Fourth Reich believes that the Slavs (more specifically Russians) are the ultimate race and believe every minority should be destroyed. The Reich in 2033 seems to be in the process of expanding its territory. They have recently occupied Black Station and were in the process of sending troops to clear out and take over Hole Station. They also have control of all tunnels leading in and out of the three main stations. The Nazis in game seem to have been founded much earlier than its counterpart in the book. In order for them to have constructed all their machine gun railcars, Panzers and defenses would take years to build, especially in a post-apocolyptic world where resources are scarce. It is rumored that prisoners of war are sent to camps known as "Stalags" where they are enslaved, forced to carry out hard labor until they die or are used as live target practice by soldiers. Such rumors are confirmed in Last Light. Metro: Last Light The Nazis play a slightly bigger role in Metro Last Light, as they are one of the primary factions vying for D6. Now visibly led by the Führer in large rallies, Reich propaganda details that D6 is home to powerful weapons, and enough food to keep the Reich fed for improbable lengths of time. With few exceptions Nazis are remain perpetually hostile to the player, and openly seek combat. Artyom is captured by Nazi soldiers after locating the last Dark One and is transported to one of their concentration camps or "Stalags", reminiscent to the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. It is shown that in these camps are set up to detain non-Russians, as well as any innocents considered 'mutated'. Should any attempt to escape, the entire chamber would be filled with deadly toxic gas. In other Nazi stations, the Nazis are portrayed as an overly brutish people, with those that are less violent in their own ranks being tormented and beaten up. Despite having made a form of truce with the Red Line preempting the events of Metro: Last Light, and their presence at the Polis Peace Conference, the Nazis remain in heated combat with the Red Army at the Front Line in the Faction Pack DLC for Metro: Last Light. Through the efforts of Hans and other soldiers, the Fourth Reich did not fall to the Red Army during the time of The Battle for D6. Military Fourth Reich poster boy Strength The Nazi soldiers of the Fourth Reich are fewer in numbers compared to the Red Line military, but the average soldier is superior due to being well trained and equipped. They seem to have a more efficient command structure and a grasp of military tactics than most other Metro factions, most likely because of the militaristic nature of Nazism but also an apparent preference of quality over quantity when it comes to troops. Due to their xenophobic political beliefs causing hostility towards any non-Nazis regardless of their faction, their hatred for outsiders and 'shoot first - ask questions later' policy extremely limits their recruitment base as it is impossible for outsider volunteers who sympathize with their cause to join their ranks which is more common with the other factions. It is assumed all Fourth Reich soldiers are born and/or raised in the Nazi stations. Equipment All Reich soldiers are well equipped with almost identical matching uniforms, helmets and full ballistic vests. They are commonly seen with higher quality weapons such as AK-74M rifles and Automatic shotguns but occasionally some soldiers can be seen using low-grade Bastard carbines. Most are also carrying Revolvers, Grenades and Throwing Knives (although they are never used). Quite a few of them are carrying Night Vision Goggles, but prefer to conserve battery charge and only equip them when alerted. The Fourth Reich also uses a variety of rail cars with mounted machine guns and according to the E3 2011 demo, owns at least two armored trains. They also posses a unique contraption not seen being employed by any other faction in the Metro in the form of jury-rigged "Panzer" tanks built over standard rail cars using scrap metal armor and feature a rotating turret with a cannon. While only a handful appear to exist due to their rarity and appear to be destroyable by even the poorly equipped Communist soldiers, they are a menacing sight for enemy troops and instill fear even in Rangers. The Reich also pocess an armored train with a Panzer turret on its roof which can be seen under maintenance in Separation (Level). In Metro: Last Light, most Nazi soldiers seem poorly equipped. They now make more use of Bastards, Ashots and other low tier weapons, and they wear less body armor and equipment. This, however can be excused because the Nazis appearing in the game are all guarding stations or prisons - they can be considered a form of home guard, with weaker weapons. The Nazi Stalkers who capture Artyom, the soldiers on the Frontline in Heavy Squad and the stalkers in Sniper Team, wear similar gear to those seen in Metro 2033, so it can be reasonable to assume that all the heavy and advanced gear is given to the front line troops and special forces, not lowely guards at home. They could possibly some new recruit militia guards. Of course, the real life explanation for this is that the developers did not want the player to have access to advanced equipment so early in the game when the more advanced weapons, like the Kalash and the Shambler, have not yet been unlocked. The Reich stalkers encountered by Anna after Artyom is knocked out by the Baby Dark One are also very well equipped and trained. Almost all are equiped with AK-74M's with various attachments and some of the officers are equipped with Kalash 2012s. The stalkers also have a heavily armored truck similar to the Ranger's seen by Anna as they leave the area. Mentality Nazi soldiers appear as fearless, brutal warriors with high morale on the battlefield, often shouting propaganda and taunts to Artyom or the Reds during a firefight. Despite their hostile nature and fervor in rallies however, some unalert soldiers can be heard talking about missing their wives and children, as well as being critical or at least skeptical about the Nazi ideology and its cause in regards to the purpose of crimes it carries out, leading certain soldiers to consider deserting in favor of another less extreme faction such as Hanza. Related Achievements Trivia * The gas mask worn on the cover art for Metro 2033 is actually a Nazi gas mask, despite the helmet featuring a red star. * Although some Nazis carry Throwing Knives, no one seems to use them. * The Nazi loudspeaker messages broadcasted at the Frontline are mimicking Nazi propaganda from WWII. * The Nazi Panzers armored railcars are crude imitations of Panzer IV tanks. * The war between the Fourth Reich and the Red Line is almost an exact replica of the Eastern Front during WWII: the Red Line has little regard for human life and uses conscripted troops extensively, while the Fourth Reich emphasizes on a professional military and armored vehicles. * Most of the frozen corpses seen on the surface during Metro 2033 bear Fourth Reich insignias. * The Nazis possibly have a sort of internal police force as during the scene where Artyom is held captive by the Nazis at the end of the mission Frontline, one of the interrogating soldiers mentions bringing in the Gestapo but the other declines because it will take too long for them to get there. The Gestapo ('Ge'heime 'Sta'ats'po'lizei) was the notorious secret police of the Third Reich who arrested perceived enemies of the state and other undesirables to the regime. * In both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, some German words can be heard in the Nazis' conversation, even in the Russian dub. * In the novel Metro 2033 there is the presumption that the three-hooked flag is based on the three Nazi Stations but this is never confirmed. Many Nazi members do not know what the three pronged Swastika actually means it is commonly though that it represents the original three fascist stations, but it has also been attributed to Slavic nationalism. * The Swastika of the Fourth Reich is the same if not identical to the one belonging to the Gegengeist Gruppe (G.G.G.) from the video game BloodRayne. * In Last Light, they are only referred to as "The Reich" and not the Fourth Reich. * A new Reich flag is introduced in Last Light consisting of a black "R" on the standard Nazi flag design. The R is meant to represent the "R" in Reich. * The Reich controls a total of five stations, according to the game map. * It is reported that in the italian version at least, soldiers of the Reich are referred to only as "Imperialists". * In terms of equipment, the Nazis possess the most unique pieces of equipment not seen used by other factions. These include their gas masks, only faction to wear black, different looking armour for heavy soldiers, their helmets and NBC suits. Gallery Nazi_0003_M2033.jpg|A Nazi Officer Nazi 0002 M2033.jpg|A Nazi Soldier Nazi_0001_M2033.jpg|A Nazi Stalker Nazi_0004_M2033.jpg|Ditto Nazi_0005_M2033.jpg|Ditto Reich_soldier_alpha.jpg|A screenshot from the alpha-version showing a Nazi Stalker with the Reich insignia from the novels. 1-06.jpg|Ditto 1-41.jpg|Ditto 1-39.jpg|Ditto nazi2.jpg|Fourth Reich Soldiers as seen in Metro 2033 nazi out1.jpg|Ditto 14.jpg|Ditto Metro2033_Edit033.jpg|Fourth Reich Stalker as seen in Metro 2033 Bildota 0007.jpg|Ditto Station Pushkinskaya.jpg|Art of unknown origin depicting Pushinskaya station. Metrolastlightforthreich.jpg|The assembly of the Fourth Reich in Metro: Last Light Fascisthallsalute.PNG|Fourth Reich soldiers at a rally, giving the Nazi style salute. Frontfascistsalute.PNG|Front view of the rally. Metro Last Light Concept Art VT 07-680x906.jpg|Reich Trooper Metro Last Light Concept Art VT 09-680x906.jpg|Reich Scout Metro Last Light Concept Art VT 16-680x906.jpg|Reich Stalker Metro Last Light Concept Art VT 08-680x906.jpg|Reich Tank Metro Last Light Concept Art VT 10-680x906.jpg|Reich Sniper Metro Last Light Concept Art VT 04-680x906.jpg|Führer Concept Art Reich Stalkers.png|Reich Stalkers as seen in Metro Last Light MLL faction pack 005.jpg|Ditto MLL faction pack 004.jpg|Reich Soldiers as seen in Metro Last Light MLL faction pack 003.jpg|Ditto photo.jpg|Ditto Reich soldier.jpg|Ditto reich commander.jpg|A Reich Officer Metro map d6.jpg|Reich Expansion MLL Fuher Profile.jpg Panzer.jpg|Nazi Panzer Frontline23.png MetroNazisGlitch.jpg 2013-07-28 00013.jpg|Reich concentration camp or "Stalag" References Category:Factions Category:Metro 2033 Video Game Category:Metro Last Light Category:Metro 2033 Novel Category:Developer Pack DLC